Well, that didn’t take long. Michigan’s newly elected Democratic U.S. Senator Abdul El-Sayed spent his campaign railing against big money in politics. Then, just three days after defeating Republican Mike Rogers, he established his very own political action committee.
So much for keeping money out of politics. Welcome to Habibi PAC, established November 6, according to Federal Election Commission records [1]. “Habibi” is an Arabic term of affection meaning “my love,” “my dear,” or “my beloved.” The word is commonly used among Arabic speakers as a friendly or affectionate way of addressing someone.
The leadership PAC allows El-Sayed to raise money to support other candidates and expand his political influence. Beyond supporting other political candidates, he can use it to pay for travel, fundraising events, political consultants, advertising, staff, polling and other political activities. He can also contribute to party organizations and build relationships with influential Democrats nationwide.
Evidently, political money isn’t quite so objectionable when El-Sayed is the one collecting it.
Meet the Man Behind the PAC
The PAC’s treasurer is Howie Stanger, a political operative who also handled El-Sayed’s Senate campaign finances.
According to the Washington Free Beacon [2], Stanger previously organized for the anti-Israel group IfNotNow and runs Pocketbook Strategies, which received more than $141,000 from El-Sayed’s campaign.
Adding to the controversy is Stanger’s previous involvement with AllVote and VoteWin, two organizations for which he served as treasurer. According to the Washington Examiner [3], the groups faced criticism during the 2024 election for allegedly sending misleading text messages to voters. Some messages falsely informed people they hadn’t voted or weren’t registered, even when they had already cast ballots or were registered.
Now, the same political operative is helping oversee El-Sayed’s new fundraising operation, raising questions about the company the senator-elect keeps as he promises to clean up money in politics. Doesn’t look like it, eh?
Michigan voters were sold a fraudulent candidate who pretended to be committed to get money out of politics. Three days after winning, he was already building another fundraising operation.
The money hasn’t left politics. It just found a new habibi.